Beautification Pilot Project Power Point - Plainfield · BEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT PARTNERSHIP STEP 1 • Identify which streets shall be part of the Pilot Project. STEP 2 •

BEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECTBEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT

Spring 2008Spring 2008

VILLAGE of PLAINFIELDVILLAGE of PLAINFIELD

•• In November of 2007, the Village In November of 2007, the Village adopted the adopted the ““Green VillageGreen Village”” initiative.initiative.

•• The Beautification Guidelines were an The Beautification Guidelines were an important element of the plan & called important element of the plan & called for the Beautification of Village streets for the Beautification of Village streets & parks.& parks.

•• In Spring 2008, the Village planned to In Spring 2008, the Village planned to launch a Beautification Pilot Project on launch a Beautification Pilot Project on important streets near historic important streets near historic downtown Plainfield and new downtown Plainfield and new developments. developments.

The nursery at Plainfield Academy.

PLAINFIELD COMMUNITY PLAINFIELD COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL

DISTRICT 202DISTRICT 202

•• The School District was given a grant by BP The School District was given a grant by BP Oil Companies to plant a nursery which Oil Companies to plant a nursery which would then be distributed around the would then be distributed around the community in a Village Beautification community in a Village Beautification Project. Project.

•• 25 Service Learning students would take 25 Service Learning students would take part in a hands on Beautification Project.part in a hands on Beautification Project.

•• Upon learning of the VillageUpon learning of the Village’’s Green Village s Green Village initiative, the School District approached initiative, the School District approached Village staff to see if there would be interest Village staff to see if there would be interest in forming a Beautification partnership.in forming a Beautification partnership.

•• The School DistrictThe School District’’s proposal s proposal complemented the Villagecomplemented the Village’’s Beautification s Beautification Plan (part of the Green Village initiative), Plan (part of the Green Village initiative), and so the partnership was formed.and so the partnership was formed.

BEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT PARTNERSHIPBEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT PARTNERSHIP

BEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT PARTNERSHIPBEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT PARTNERSHIP

STEP 1STEP 1•• Identify which streets shall be part of the Pilot Project.Identify which streets shall be part of the Pilot Project.

STEP 2STEP 2•• Identify what types of plantings are wanted on each of these Identify what types of plantings are wanted on each of these

streets.streets.

STEP 3STEP 3•• Create Landscape Plans.Create Landscape Plans.

STEP 4STEP 4•• Purchase any plants being used that are not a part of the SchoPurchase any plants being used that are not a part of the School ol

DistrictDistrict’’s donated nursery & Prune the School Districts donated nursery & Prune the School District’’s Nursery.s Nursery.

STEP 5STEP 5•• Stake tree locations along roadways.Stake tree locations along roadways.

STEP 6STEP 6•• Plant & care for the trees, shrubs & perennials in accordance Plant & care for the trees, shrubs & perennials in accordance with with

the Landscape Plans.the Landscape Plans.

STEP 1 : Identify which streets shall be part of STEP 1 : Identify which streets shall be part of the Pilot Project.the Pilot Project.

Van Dyke Road

This is a collector street that already has several landscaped boulevards on it. More extensive landscaping must be installed as it is a road that leads directly to the Village’s downtown and Settlers Park.

Ridge Road

This is a major arterial that will eventually be an important north-south route between several counties. The road’s character is important thus additional landscaping is necessary on the medians.

Drauden Road

This is a collector street similar to Van Dyke Rd. There are already several landscaped boulevards, but there is minimal landscaping on them. This road leads into the new residential areas at the south end of the Village.

STEP 2:STEP 2: Identify what types of plantings are wanted on each of these stIdentify what types of plantings are wanted on each of these streets.reets.

& & STEP 3STEP 3: : Create Landscape Plans.Create Landscape Plans.

Van Dyke Road VisionVan Dyke Road Vision•• Attractive landscaping year round.Attractive landscaping year round.•• Manicured appearance to be consistent Manicured appearance to be consistent

with a traditional downtown design.with a traditional downtown design.•• Trees with vibrant color and/or flowers.Trees with vibrant color and/or flowers.•• ColonnadeColonnade of same species trees for of same species trees for

uniformity and visual interest.uniformity and visual interest.

Van Dyke Road DesignVan Dyke Road Design•• Chanticleer Pears spaced 25 feet apart Chanticleer Pears spaced 25 feet apart

adjacent to the downtown.adjacent to the downtown.•• Sugar Maples and Autumn Blaze Maples Sugar Maples and Autumn Blaze Maples

adjacent to the Pears.adjacent to the Pears.•• Colorful perennials and Lilac and Colorful perennials and Lilac and

Burning Bushes as accents at the end of Burning Bushes as accents at the end of each median.each median.



Ridge Road (future WIKADUKE) VisionRidge Road (future WIKADUKE) Vision•• Attractive landscaping year round.Attractive landscaping year round.•• Native plants & grasses in accordance Native plants & grasses in accordance

with the Green Village initiative & to be with the Green Village initiative & to be consistent with the WIKADUKE Trail consistent with the WIKADUKE Trail Design Guidelines.Design Guidelines.

•• Trees with vibrant color and/or flowers.Trees with vibrant color and/or flowers.

Ridge Road (future WIKADUKE) DesignRidge Road (future WIKADUKE) Design•• Variety of plant species for visual interest.Variety of plant species for visual interest.•• Red Sunset Maples, Autumn Blaze Maples Red Sunset Maples, Autumn Blaze Maples

& American Redbuds for vibrant fall color.& American Redbuds for vibrant fall color.•• Native plants & grasses for environmental Native plants & grasses for environmental

benefit and naturalistic design scheme.benefit and naturalistic design scheme.



Drauden Road VisionDrauden Road Vision•• Attractive landscaping year round.Attractive landscaping year round.•• Native plant species for environmental Native plant species for environmental

benefits.benefits.•• Trees with vibrant color and/or flowers.Trees with vibrant color and/or flowers.•• Plant additional trees and flowers for Plant additional trees and flowers for

added character and beautification.added character and beautification.

Drauden Road DesignDrauden Road Design•• Crimson King Maples, Sugar Maples, Crimson King Maples, Sugar Maples,

Red Sunset Maples, Honey Locusts & Red Sunset Maples, Honey Locusts & American Redbuds for color, variety & American Redbuds for color, variety & good street canopies.good street canopies.

•• Colorful perennials and Lilac and Colorful perennials and Lilac and Burning Bushes as accents at the end of Burning Bushes as accents at the end of each median.each median.

STEP 4 : Purchase any plants being used that are not a part of tSTEP 4 : Purchase any plants being used that are not a part of the he School DistrictSchool District’’s donated nursery & Prune the School Districts donated nursery & Prune the School District’’s s Nursery.Nursery.

Hinsdale Nursery

The Chanticleer Pears proposed on Van Dyke Rd. were not accounted for in the School District’s nursery, so the Village Forester went to an outside nursery to purchase the trees at wholesale price with money from the Beautification Fund.

Selection Process

Trees were selected based on:

HeightBranch OrientationTrunk WidthInflictions

The Village Forester inspected each tree before selecting the final ones.

Final Selection

Trees were marked with a ribbon once selected. 18 Pear Trees were purchased, all of equal height, 2.5 inch trunks, sturdy branches angled upwards and with no inflictions or “wounds” on the bark.

March 26, 2008

STEP 4 : Purchase any plants being used that are not a part of tSTEP 4 : Purchase any plants being used that are not a part of the he School DistrictSchool District’’s donated nursery & Prune the School Districts donated nursery & Prune the School District’’s s Nursery.Nursery.

Pruning Lessons

The Village Forester and his work crew went on site to Plainfield Academy to provide landscaping lessons to the students participating in the Beautification Pilot Project. Students learned to prune trees, shrubs & perennials.

Student Participation

After students learned how to safely prune the plantings so they were in prime condition for planting, they were allowed to prune the nursery themselves.

The Group

The students worked in small groups like the one illustrated above with the help of the Village Forester. The $30,000.00 nursery was pruned in a few short days.

STEP 5 : Stake tree locations along roadways.STEP 5 : Stake tree locations along roadways.

Staking

The Village’s Public Works employees went out and staked the locations where the trees are to be planted in the landscape boulevards.

Public Works employees will be planting the purchased Chanticleer Pear Trees without the help of students, and once this is complete will be working with the students on the remainder of the project.

Van Dyke RoadApril 2, 2008

STEP 6 : Plant & care for the trees, shrubs & perennials in accoSTEP 6 : Plant & care for the trees, shrubs & perennials in accordance rdance with the Landscape Plans.with the Landscape Plans.

Pear Tree Planting

The nursery came out & placed each Chanticleer Pear tree adjacent to the stakes that the Public Works Department had previously erected. A landscaping company then came & planted each pear tree on Van Dyke.

This concludes the Village’s involvement with an outside nursery. Now that the Pear trees are planted on Van Dyke Road, the Village Forester can begin working with students on relocating their nursery to Village boulevards & medians.


STEP 6 : Plant and care for the trees, shrubs & perennials in STEP 6 : Plant and care for the trees, shrubs & perennials in accordance with the Landscape Plans.accordance with the Landscape Plans.

Mulching

A group of students from Plainfield North High Schoolcame out and mulched each of the Pear Trees on Van Dyke Road. The Public Works Department gave each student a yellow vest to wear to ensure their safety, marked off the road for passing traffic & provided landscaping equipment for the students to use.

Under the supervision of their teachers and Public Works, students shoveled the mulch off of the backs of Public Works trucks and transported it in wheelbarrows to each tree. With shovels and rakes they were then able to spread the mulch around evenly.



Installing Water Bags

A group of students from Plainfield Central High Schoolcame out and installed water bags around each of the Pear trees to help keep the soil moist. The water bags are a drip irrigation system that has a control valve that lets out only a single drop of water at a time.

In case of drought, these bags can help a tree adapt to new soil. Plainfield Central students took turns staking the water bags around the trees, filling them with water and attaching the valve timer.



Installing Water Bags Day 2

A group of students from Plainfield Academy High School came out and installed water bags around the trees that were not finished the day before. Once filled, the water bags should last for approximately one month at which point they can be refilled if necessary.

To survive, newly planted trees and shrubs need an adequate, controlled water supply directed to reach the root system. In this situation, the water supply will continue over the first several vital weeks.



Excavate Planting Beds

Now that all necessary tasks have been carried out on the Pear trees, students from Plainfield South High School were able to excavate parts of the Van Dyke boulevard to make space for planting beds. The Village Forester explained what the group was going to be doing by showing them the landscape plans, then let students take turns using the excavator. Once the planting beds were dug out, students were able to get their hands dirty pulling up the sod. This area will be planted with shrubs, perennials & grasses in the near future.


Digging up & Burlapping Maple Trees at Plainfield Academy nursery

The Forestry Division of the Public Works Department called in the help of a private landscape company to come dig up healthy maple trees from the Plainfield Academy High School nursery. The Landscape Company has machinery which makes the digging and burlapping much easier than doing it by hand.

The trees will be loaded onto a trailer and stored at the Public Works facility until students are available to help plant them on roadside medians.


Van Dyke RoadMay 13, 2008Planting Maple Trees on Van Dyke Road

Public Works brought the trailer of Maple Trees to the planting site on Van Dyke Road. Consistent with action taken prior to the planting of the Pear Trees, the maple tree locations were measured out and staked prior to the tree planting. Julie conducted inspections prior to the digging as well.

A team of students from Plainfield North High Schoolwas the first group to begin planting the trees. Students had to dig large holes on Van Dyke Road which the Maple Trees could be placed in.


Van Dyke RoadMay 13, 2008Planting Maple Trees on Van Dyke Road

Once a large enough hole was dug, a student helped the Village Forester push the 500 lb. tree into it. Members of the Forestry crew then removed parts of the burlapping to allow the roots to spread out and fill the hole. Additional dirt was spread over the tree as well.

COMING SOONCOMING SOON……

Documents

Beautification Pilot Project Power Point - Plainfield · BEAUTIFICATION PILOT PROJECT PARTNERSHIP STEP 1 • Identify which streets shall be part of the Pilot Project. STEP 2 •